Powertrekk promises outdoor outlet freedom
PowerTrekk is a portable fuel cell charger for use by outdoor enthusiasts who spend time away from the electricity grid. PowerTrekk provides instant power anywhere to electronic equipment such as mobile phones, digital cameras and GPS devices. PowerTrekk is a 2-in-1 solution that is both a portable battery pack and fuel cell. The portable battery pack can be operated on its own as a ready source of power or storage buffer for the fuel cell. The fuel cell enables instant charging from a deflated battery state without ever needing a wall charge."
I want one of these. Period.
BrainPort Remaps Sensory Input to Tongue
Neuroscientist Paul Bach-y-Rita's work on sensory substitution has spawned BrainPort, a sensory remapping unit that uses the tongue as sensory input interface. BrainPort uses the tongue to map the image picked up by a camera into discrete electrical points with up to 600 image points. BrainPort has also been used to correct balance in patients with vestibular dysfunction. See the facinating video on Wired Science:
Helping horses gallop
Using inertia sensors Andrew Spence has show how the jockey smooths and helps the motion of the racehorse. Watch the movie here.
Hand Dynamometer
This simple hand dynamometer is made by attaching a strain gauge to an easily available Hand Exercise Grip.
"A hand dynamometer is used to measure grip strength. The measurement of grip strength allows for comparison of left and right hand grip and muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue can be measured by comparing the difference in hand strength measurements taken before and after an experiment has been performed. In sports, handgrip strength is important for those games where the hands are used for catching, throwing or lifting. In geriatric, one study found that poor hand strength can be used to predict disability in older people."
From Emant Pte Ltd which has several other cool projects to check out.
Computerized Dynamic Posturography Validity & Efficacy Studies
A rather nifty table of applicable studies on posturography to be checked out before bulding your own.
A simple electronic stethoscope
Vik Olliver har simple instructions on how to hack an "iSpy spy ear" to make an electronic stethoscope which not only has the added advantage of letting you turn up the volume and eliminating tube rub that it also allows you to look at the waveform of the sounds through your computer.
Open Spirometry
The objective of this project, started by David Van Sickle in January 2009, is to develop an open source, low cost, and clinically functional spirometer that measures lung flows and volumes. We envision a first generation device that connects to a computer via a USB port and guides and coaches patients through the testing using digital audiovisual clips.
http://openspirometry.org/
